The Best Laid Plans
by lookafic
Summary: In which Shion doesn't know how to plan road trips, and Nezumi is a Shakespeare snob. AU
1. Too much Timon of Athens

No one ever reads the bulletin board. It is made of plain cork, which is only visible after lifting the psychedelic flash of papers that are supposed to be eye catching, but when placed together, actively force anyone attempting to read them away with their near-radioactive brightness.

Nezumi somehow manages to spot the note anyway, while on his way to the library to return a copy of _Much Ado About Nothing_—his personal copy currently missing in action. It's handwritten on basic notebook paper, obviously torn out of a spiral, because the fringe still remains. Somehow the plainness of the paper only makes it stand out more amongst the colors.

_Good morning, (or afternoon depending on the time you are reading this I suppose.)_

_My name is Shion and I am a sophomore. I am currently looking for a group to accompany me on a long road trip. I do not know of the destination, but I am willing to take suggestions. I just want to get out of this city for a while._

_Please meet me at the school entrance and we'll see if we can work out gas expenses. Please contact your families and get permission before we go._

_I hope to hear from some of you soon._

_Shion_

It's completely idiotic. With school still going on no one good is going to take this _Shion _up his offer. The only ones hopping off now either don't care, or are planning on dropping out. On top of that, the bulletin board is in public view, any idiot off the street could read this.

Perhaps Shion's counting on that and is looking for a couple of gang members to have his back as he goes on a rampage, but then there's really no reason to notify parents.

As it is, Nezumi reasons, he's probably just lonely. He reads the note again, studying the handwriting. It's neat, definitely planned out beforehand. This wasn't some spur of the moment decision.

There's something sort of endearing about the student's attempt to get company.

It's going to be a real shame when he gets mugged. Or worse.

Nezumi figures he's saving the man a lot of grief by taking the piece of notebook paper off the board and placing it in his pocket.

It surprises Nezumi that he's taking the time to protect the sort of imbecile that can't even realize he's placed a honeyed invitation for aspiring serial killers on the school bulletin—but the shock is fleeting and unimportant and Nezumi has a book to return so he forgets about Shion and the note soon enough.

After several arguments with the librarian because, no, of course he didn't steal their copy of _Timon of Athens_, if he was going to steal he'd obviously go after one of his better plays like _Othello, _what kind of moron did she take him for— Nezumi is finally able to peruse the stacks. He's debating taking a break from Shakespeare and spending some quality time with Molière, when a voice interrupts his train of thought.

"What's wrong with _Timon of Athens_?"

Nezumi blinks once, twice, before turning to face the speaker. The first thing he notices is a stupid tan beanie. Who the hell wears something like that, inside, with 90 degree weather outside?

He's probably a nerd.

He's got a cute face, round cheeks, large eyes that are an interesting shade of brown- almost purple. Nezumi's tempted to look closer but the student quickly breaks eye contact in favor of glancing at his plain brown loafers. He realizes he's waiting for him to reply, Nezumi scoffs, "What _isn't _wrong with _Timon of Athens_? It's just pure, unbridled, shoddiness from beginning to end. Probably unfinished, definitely unedited—it's bullshit. Shakespeare needs to steer away from morality plays, really."

To his surprise, the student laughs, "Wow, you're really passionate about this."

Damn right he's passionate. "I just don't like people thinking just because Shakespeare wrote something it's actually good. Need to form your own opinion, not follow like a sheep."

"You don't like Shakespeare?"

"Now let's not get ahead of ourselves. There are some masterpieces there, they're just hidden underneath a lot of junk, like everything else" Nezumi clarifies, and the student laughs again. The odd man stretches out a hand, looking much more confident than he was before. His eyes, Nezumi notes, actually are purple, not simply brown, and there's a peek of white sticking out from underneath his beanie.

Just what is this guy?

The student smiles at him, and Nezumi realizes he's staring.

"I'm Shion. Can I ask you a favor?"

And Nezumi suddenly understands the particular brand of idiocy that declares hanging a handwritten note from a sketchy school bulletin board as a totally okay means of friend-making; it's the same brand that strikes up conversations with strangers in libraries about _Timon of Athens_ and asks for a favor.

It's time to get out of this. He's stuck his neck out one time too many for this pampered prince today.

"Sorry, but I'm busy." Nezumi curtly replies, but Shion will have none of it,

"You aren't busy. You just told the librarian you would be here all night to annoy her."

Nezumi scowls, "It was a threat. I have things to do."

"But not for at least a few hours. People don't make threats like that without having some time to follow through. And this will only take a couple minutes." Shion swallows, his shoulders sinking slightly, "Believe me, I wouldn't ask if I was allowed to do it myself."

It's the damn beanie. It's so out of place on Shion's head, and his shuffling is so uncomfortable. Nezumi weakens.

"What is it?"

"Can you…um. Well, you mentioned stealing _Othello _earlier—"

"—If you're about to ask me to steal fucking _Othello _I don't—"

Shion scoffs, shakes his head, "Nothing that illegal. They have 3 copies. I was wondering if you could buy one for me. I'll pay you after. "

The simple request surprises him. The library doubled as a bookstore when multiple copies of a book were in stock,

"Why can't you buy it yourself if you have the money?"

Shion's looking at his loafers again. He's frowning, looking so thoroughly miserable that Nezumi almost regrets asking. "They won't sell it to me."

"And why's that?" Nezumi inquires.

Shion swallows, scratches his neck before looking up at Nezumi, "I was expelled. Earlier this week."

Wait—_what_? Nezumi pauses. He knew the schoolboard was going to hell but _expulsion_? What could someone like Shion do to get expelled? Bend a flower?

"What did you do?"

Shion shakes his head, "A friend of mine was being bullied and I attacked the student." He pauses, emphasizes, "I wasn't planning on killing him, just so you know. I know they've been spreading rumors around about me."

"Wait, hang on—what? Who did you attack?"

Shion frowns, "I only knew him as Rashi. He kicked me around a lot as a kid so…I guess it was the straw that broke the camel's back. His family isn't charging, but the school board decided to have me expelled. I don't feel bad about defending Sa—my friend, but the effects are truly unfortunate."

Shion had balls— Nezumi would give him that. Unexpected, and surprisingly unapologetic balls, but balls nonetheless.

_Maybe he really is looking for a gang._

Shion scratches his neck again, "If you don't want to buy the book I'll find someone else. I didn't mean to, ah, force that on you."

But Nezumi's already heading toward the counter, and pulling out his wallet. Shion watches him from the shelves, unable to keep a slight smile from creeping onto his face.

Nezumi returns with a bag, and a still-smiling Shion digs in his wallet for payment.

"Thank you so much."

He hands Nezumi the 4 dollars for _Othello, _checking the bag, surprised to find another book beside it in the bag. _Timon of Athens_ stares up at him. At Shion's questioning look, Nezumi simply shrugs and says,

"It was 50 cents, rightfully so, and you clearly haven't read it. Don't go off my judgment. Decide what you think on your own."

Shion glows at him, "Don't be a sheep, you mean."

"Exactly." Nezumi frowns, "Oh, and I have something else for you too."

He digs in his pocket for the note and offers it back to a confused Shion,

"You shouldn't hang this on the bulletin, your car is going to get filled with creeps."

Shion blinks, "Oh, my note." He frowns, "You took it down? But I still have an empty seat. If you're worried about creeps I've been doing thorough interviews…I'm a pretty good judge of character, you know."

"I'll fill it."

The words are out of Nezumi's mouth before he can help it. It comes out of nowhere, the sudden need to stick around this mystery that's willing to get expelled for nearly killing a kid but refuses to steal a book from the library.

The same mystery that picks travelling companions through a sketchy bulletin board, but has to make sure they alert their parents first.

He's cute and a little creepy with his purple eyes and white hair. Nezumi knows he'd be a fool to pass this chance up.

He's drawn to him.

And judging by the way Shion practically sparkles back at him and says "I'll get my interview questions ready!" the feeling is mutual.

* * *

Notes:

_Much Ado About Nothing _and_ Othello _obviously by William Shakespeare

_Timon of Athens _also by William Shakespeare although potentially co-wrote by Thomas Middleton.


	2. Odyssey

Notes: Also on Archive also on tumblr. Word.

* * *

"They cancelled?"

"They cancelled."

Shion's looking downright crestfallen as he rests against his car door, beanie-clad head tilted down in shame.

"I was so sure this would work and they would all show up here. I told them at the interviews!" Shion sighs audibly, "I guess they stood us up."

Nezumi can only shake his head, circling the little tan car, stopping to examine the door opposite Shion. The car's not in bad shape or anything. There's a shine to it that obviously was earned through determined cleaning. It's just _old_. He doesn't know what to call it. He's far from car illiterate but this particular model leaves his mind blank. They probably didn't make it anymore. Why did Shion have one?

From this side of the car, Nezumi gets a good view of Shion's back. How a _back _could look so miserableis beyond him. He feels his heart tug a little bit, and determines to ignore it before he hears Shion's frustrated sigh. His voice is soft, but irritated, "I just don't understand what I did wrong."

Well, he can't just leave him like that.

Nezumi can count the number of times he's tried to cheer someone up without asking for something in return on one hand, but he tries anyway.

He offers Shion his best lazy grin, resting his arms on the hood of the car in a position that he knows is alluring.

"Maybe they saw this death trap and took off."

It's supposed to be a joke, something to bring Shion back to reality so he doesn't get lost in the failings of other people. Unfortunately, the unplanned nature of Nezumi's positioning hits him in the form of _scalding pain_. It's boiling outside and the heat from the metal of the car hood is merciless against his arms. Smooth going.

He starts to retract his arms but Shion has now turned around to shoot him a glare, "It's not a death trap. It's actually surprisingly fuel efficient."

Nezumi manages a chuckle he hopes sounds sardonic and not pained, "An old model like that?"

"Old models can be updated," Shion frowns at him, something like concern in his eyes, "Aren't your arms hot up there?"

And Nezumi is trapped. An irrational part of him is now determined to prove that nothing could possibly be _too hot_ for him. He tries to swallow his pride and remove his arms, but what comes out of his mouth is a surprisingly nonchalant "It's manageable."

Shion looks a little confused but nods, clearly still caught up in his own thoughts. "Okay."

It isn't. But like hell Nezumi's going to admit that now that he's said he can handle it.

Nezumi smiles as he questions his place in the universe, and this newfound, disturbing, willingness to embrace discomfort if it means impressing Shion. The student isn't even impressed, and yet Nezumi finds himself unable to admit defeat. He can't just stop power posing, that's not allowed. His personal pride's at stake here. He keeps talking- anything to distract himself from the hot metal, "So I guess we aren't leaving today."

Shion sighs, and fiddles with his phone, "I have to leave today."

The comment fails to register with Nezumi. It's not that he's ignoring Shion, he's just slightly distracted by the need to intensely berate himself. What the hell was wrong with him? He didn't need this pain. His arms were going to be red as hell and then what was he going to tell Shion?

_Why can't he just move his damn arms?_

He's frantically planning his escape strategy—_fuck Shion_— until he gets a good look at the man. He's looking worse than before, having turned around again. His eyes are entirely focused on his phone, unreadable and distant. Nezumi's position allows him to see over his shoulder and view the display. The screen shows a steady stream of messages. For a fleeting a moment Nezumi thinks Shion's still attempting to converse with their former traveling companions but he sees the recipient of Shion's messages is simply labeled _Mom. _

Something inside his heart catches a little and Nezumi bites his lip. He fights it down and manages a grim smile.

"Talking with your mama?" He lowers his arms. The heat from the car suddenly seems so dreadfully unimportant.

"It's rude to read someone's texts over their shoulder," to his surprise, Shion matches his smile in discomfort, "but yes, I am."

Nezumi holds up his hands in a way that shows he's entirely unapologetic for his actions but still acknowledges their rudeness. Shion seems vaguely amused. "She disapproves of your little adventure?"

Something flashes briefly across Shion's face—_annoyance?_ He shakes his head. "Not at all. She understands I have to do this, more than anyone else. I'm the one who has cold feet."

Nezumi watches Shion, when he speaks, it's quieter than he expects. "Why are you doing this, Shion?"

Shion pauses for a few seconds, taking the time to seriously think about his answer. When he speaks, it's a long release, "I've never left this city, you know. I grew up here all my life and I—I don't know anything about anywhere else. I don't…"

He halts and swallows, frowning. He's omitting things but Nezumi understands well enough that telling an almost-stranger your life story isn't exactly the easiest task, or the fairest. Nezumi has no intention to reciprocate. Which begs the question, why did Nezumi want to know so badly?

Shion quietly continues, "I just can't be around here anymore. I thought… I thought that having a group to travel with would finally force me to leave. Especially after being expelled. But I'm still hesitating. Even with you, I'm still—"

"This is a problem of yours, not of mine." Shion blinks, meeting Nezumi's eyes. Nezumi frowns a little, "I'm not saying that to be an ass. You shouldn't rely on other people to make you do things, or do things for you. You're the only one who can decide what happens."

Shion almost winces, "You're right but—no. You're right." Shion looks down. Nezumi catches another glimpse of his hair under the beanie. Definitely white. Nezumi finds himself wanting to force the hat off his head to examine it fully. "I didn't mean to say all that. I shouldn't have pushed all that on you."

"You don't have to feel bad about that. I asked because I wanted to know." Nezumi smiles, ignoring the weird flip his stomach does as he speaks honestly. He taunts Shion to make up for it, "See? That's how you accept responsibility."

Shion laughs, gentle and clear. Nezumi feels himself smile. Shion's shoulders are still tense and he's clearly thinking hard, but he seems to have cheered up somewhat. Nezumi feels oddly fulfilled, "That comment was pretty unnecessary, Nezumi."

Nezumi chuckles with him, "They can't all be winners."

"Why did you agree to come with me, Nezumi?" Shion suddenly asks, and Nezumi feels himself freeze.

He knows what social protocol dictates. Shion told him why he was travelling, so it's only fair that he return the favor. "I just felt like coming along," he dodges, feeling a little guilty.

To Nezumi's surprise, Shion doesn't press, and they stand in silence for a moment. Shion pockets his phone, realizing he's been holding it this whole time. "Do you still want to come? Even if it's only with me?"

There's something under his words there, a different offer. Shion's watching him carefully. Nezumi smiles a little, trying to shake off some the awkwardness he feels. "Why are you asking me that? Because you want companionship, or because you're running away again?"

Not to be tricked, Shion shakes his head. "Neither. I'm not asking for me this time. I already know what I want." Shion smiles, confidently opening the car door for himself and climbing in the driver's side. "Decide for yourself, Nezumi."

For some reason, Nezumi doesn't hesitate. He tugs open the side door and takes the seat beside Shion.

Shion smiles at him and starts the engine.


	3. The GPS chapter

Shion's using a damnGPS. Or rather, Shion is _trying_ to use a damnGPS but the damn GPS won't work,_ dammit_.

Shion apologizes after each muffled curse. Nezumi just shakes his head. At least Shion has the good sense to pull over before picking a fight with technology. They've stopped about a mile out. Resistentialism is working at its finest, truly.

Nezumi watches Shion's stressed face and bites down a laugh.

His brows are knit together as he ineffectually unplugs and re-plugs what Nezumi assumes is his charger into a GPS. The "road closed" sign looms over them, seeming to mock Shion with its cruel sign-ish indifference. He keeps looking up at it as if it's personally at fault for his GPS's stalwart, but futile, search for a signal.

He looks so serious, so _focused_. If Nezumi were to open the door and walk out he doubted Shion would so much as look up. Not that Nezumi is planning on walking out- this is far, far too entertaining. A real private performance: the ideal struggle against an invisible enemy. A GPS really makes a fantastic scene partner— definitely better than any of the up-in-coming theatre majors. Nezumi makes a mental note to retain this knowledge for later.

He lets Shion engage in ruthless battle for about 10 minutes before commenting.

"You know, most man-versus-machine stories have very definite victors— perhaps it would be best if you simply offered your deepest apologies and begged to keep your head. I hear GPS's are quite magnanimous in victory."

Shion manages a frank, "If you keep talking like that, it's not_ my_ head I'm worried for."

Nezumi is affronted. "Why Shion, that sounded like a threat!"

"It was." Shion mumbles as he pries at the back of the GPS with his fingers. It does not open.

Nezumi laughs, to his surprise Shion offers a slight smile in response. Shion holds the GPS up, blowing on it. Nezumi raises an eyebrow.

"Is that supposed to do something?"

"I don't see you offering a better suggestion!" Shion counters, voice a little too high to be angry. There's an extremely faint blush dotting his cheeks. Nezumi assumes it's from the awkward situation but it really just could be the heat. After all, the car is turned off and promptly getting hotter, and Shion's still determined to keep that beanie on.

Despite his efforts Shion's white hair really is obvious at this point. Nezumi debates making an executive decision and forcing a costume change. Now really isn't the time however. After all, Shion is _blushing_ and that presents an entirely new set of options.

He's almost tempted to soothe that embarrassment, assure Shion that this sort of thing happens all the time and not to worry about it.

_But…_

He kind of wants to make things a little harder just to see what will happen. Seeing Shion endearingly flustered is far more appealing a prospect then simply trying to calm him down and fix the GPS. He manages to keep his voice light and just _this_ side of mocking, resting his cheek against the window. It's warm against his skin, despite the relative heat of the car, since they really haven't been pulled over that long. It's a pleasant feeling.

"Oh, are you open to suggestions now? I was under the impression that you wanted to do this one on your own. You're doing such a good job turning it off and on, it's truly a miracle it hasn't found itself."

Shion sighs instead of getting flustered—_damn it_— and offers Nezumi a fleeting cold stare.

"What do you suggest, Nezumi?" The way he delivers his line, utterly absorbed in the_ very_ important task of jabbing at the reset button with a pencil for the 90th time, clearly expresses little to no desire to hear any of what Nezumi thinks. It's made in polite formality. Nezumi feels a little bad.

"I could probably fix the GPS for you if you really want me to. But, don't you think it's more fun having no destination?"

Shion seems a little irritated by his confidence, but hardly surprised. He's learning fast, Nezumi notes with vague and inexplicable concern. "It's important to know where we're going. I'm not about to drive us into the middle of river."

"At this rate, you're not about to drive us anywhere." Nezumi grins before making grabby hands for the GPS. "Give it here. If the internal antennae, or anything is damaged there's nothing I can do— but it may just be jostled a little."

Shion complies without hesitation. He unbuckles so he gets a better look at the device now in Nezumi's hands. He's still got his focused face on. Nezumi watches Shion out of the corner of his eye, bringing the GPS to his ear and shaking it a little. Well, nothing's loose at least. "Can you get my bag for me? There are some tools in there."

Shion pauses before crawling into the backseat and tugging up Nezumi's plain black bag. He sets it in the space between them, still hovering curiously. "I thought you were a theatre major."

"Machines are bit of a hobby of mine. I used to read a lot of books on them." Nezumi remarks offhandedly, digging around the side pocket and producing a small screwdriver. He starts opening up the GPS. To his surprise, Shion quietly interrupts him.

"Nezumi?"

He grunts a little in reply. "Yes, Shion?"

Shion's voice is almost a whisper, hesitant, but purposeful. "Can you narrate what you're doing? I'd like to be able to fix it myself next time." Shion's staring at his hands. Nezumi's a little proud of himself for not fumbling under the directness of his gaze.

He nods. "Yeah, sure, if you think you can remember."

"I'll remember."

Shion turns out to be a remarkable student, easily understanding the workings of the GPS after a little coaching. Nezumi winds up handing him the GPS and telling him to fix it based on instruction alone. Shion seems a little tentative at first, but without reason. As he screws the final screw in and powers up the GPS successfully, his smile could probably compete with the sun in brightness.

"We fixed it, Nezumi!"

"Yeah, well, we weren't messing with much of it. It was just an antennae issue after all."

Shion shakes his head. "Minor adjustment or not, I still probably wouldn't have opened it up on my own. Without you, we'd probably be down a GPS!" Shion's beaming at him and Nezumi has to turn a little to keep from staring. His own voice surprises him.

"Glad to help."

And he is.

Shion starts up the car, plugging in some unseen destination, Nezumi insisting it's still entirely unnecessary to even use the GPS for a sudden trip like this one. But they fall into comfortable silence soon enough.


	4. GPS regrets

The light-brown dirt road looks almost orange in the fading light. Nezumi paws lazily at the switch near his elbow in order to lower his window slightly, granting him a better look at the dying morning. He's almost startled by the steady rush of air, which greets him as the window lowers. He checks the open section of the window to make sure none of the dust from outside gets in the car, although really, he wouldn't care too much if any happened to sneak in. Ruining Shion's car would at least give them something to talk about, which is more than they had now.

Fortunately or unfortunately his fleeting worries are unfounded. Despite the wheels of Shion's car picking up dust, the dust cloud appears small enough not to get into the car. Nezumi lowers the window completely to tempt fate anyway-maybe he'll get lucky. He knows he should relax, that he's probably making some sort of troubled face, but to be fair, when he signed up for a road trip he signed up for a _road trip_, and not an awkward, _silent_, uncomfortably long car ride with a stranger.

He sighs, trying, for once, not to complain and handle this calmly. In a wistful moment, he's almost tempted to close his eyes and listen to the wind whirring past them, the steady thrum of the engine, and Shion's steady breathing in the seat next to him. But he'd miss out on the view. The light seems to catch on the loose particles from the dust cloud they're building, painting the whole expanse around them a sort of dusty amber.

It's absolutely breathtaking and Shion hasn't said a word about it. In fact, Shion hasn't even seemed to notice the fantastic view around him. The silence between them grows heavier. It's a stifling, dreadful feeling, vaguely reminiscent of being wrapped up too tightly in an itchy blanket. Nezumi can almost feel the unspoken words piling up between them, growing more colossal by the second, it's only a matter of time before something breaks and everything comes tumbling down and out.

The GPS feeds Shion directions in a metallic, dull voice. Nezumi momentarily debates throwing it out the window just to watch it splinter all over the road but crushes the impulse. It's tempting, but not worth the risk of Shion getting pissy and kicking him out of the car.

He occasionally feels Shion risk a look in his direction, when he's not entirely absorbed in the demands of the GPS or the road in front of him, but when Nezumi glances back at him, he immediately focuses on the road again. He's somewhat surprised by the disappointment he feels every time Shion refuses to meet his gaze.

After a few minutes Nezumi hears a quiet, vague sound from Shion's direction. Nezumi glances at Shion, listening carefully, poised to reply with sharpened wit. After another minute passes he begins to doubt he ever heard Shion make the noise in the first place. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking.

He starts to lean back in his seat when he hears it again. Definitely a gulping sound. Shion's swallowing? Nezumi tries his best to spy skillfully, but Shion catches his stare. To Nezumi's surprise he doesn't break away for once and hesitantly opens his mouth. Nezumi feels himself leaning closer, hanging on whatever's about to be said because really this took Shion fucking long enough-this build up is _ridiculous_- when the GPS loudly alerts them of a right turn ahead.

They both jump. Shion's mouth clamps shut and his grip on the wheel tightens, eyes glued to the road again. Nezumi suddenly finds a nonexistent stain on the window extremely fascinating.

Silence returns to the car with unwelcome familiarity. Nezumi drums his fingers against the armrest irritably. He can almost feel the potential conversation curling up and dying somewhere in the back of Shion's throat. Had he known that fixing the damn GPS would effectively assassinate this undoubtedly _very important _conversation before it began, he would have smashed the thing before they'd even set out. He debates smashing it now just to get even. It's certainly monopolized Shion's attention enough.

Shion makes no moves to speak again and the worn, miserable thread that is Nezumi's patience snaps in two.

"I sincerely hope you know you're doing this road trip all wrong." Nezumi remarks before sticking his head out the window to escape from the silence.

He tries again to listen to the comforting sound of the wind, and the repetitive crunching of car wheels on the dirt road. He does shut his eyes this time. When the rush fails to comfort him he lets out a long, despairing groan to the universe—he's aware it's a childish move, but he's feeling so terribly _ignored _that he can't bring himself to regret it too much. His hair hits him in the face and he chokes a little on it as well as the dust cloud. It's still more exciting than Shion.

Shion doesn't bother looking in Nezumi's direction. "I wasn't aware there was a wrong way to do this."

Nezumi leans back into the car and rolls the window up, the thrum of the wind quiets. The auditory loss fills him with a fleeting and inexplicable loneliness. Nezumi shoves it down, speaking. "Neither was I. But you found it."

He taps at the closed glass impatiently as the GPS informs them of another upcoming right turn. Nezumi throws his voice and imitates it mockingly. Shion takes the turn, ignoring him. Nezumi sighs and rests his forehead against the window, wondering why he even bothered to get in this car in the first place. He hears Shion shift and ignores him, still petulant. Something like a laugh interrupts his thoughts and he turns slightly, eying his companion.

He must've imagined the sound because Shion's face is unexpectedly blank. He seems relaxed, but it feels fake- a plastic sort of content. When he speaks it doesn't quite match his face, a little too blunt for him to be completely casual.

"Well, enlighten me then, what's the right way?"

Nezumi looks at Shion, examining the beanie in his hair, while at first he found it endearing the worn hat has long since lost its charm. The longer Nezumi spends around Shion the clearer it becomes that the beanie is just another way to cover up whatever Shion thinks others shouldn't see. Why is Shion hiding himself like that? Who does he think he's fooling?

He stares at the focused purple of Shion's eyes. They're intense, despite all his attempts to shroud them. He's always staring ahead, straight ahead, and it's better than looking back but it's not enough. It's not enough when Shion's still covering up what's right under his hat. Why he feels the need to cover himself up, Nezumi doesn't understand, although he's certain Shion has his reasons for hiding, he understands the importance of secrets and privacy better than anyone.

He's curious, but as he watches his companion's purposeful eyes, Nezumi is, for the first time since getting into the car with Shion, a little nervous about what he may find.

Is it worth staying to find out?

The GPS's voice rings out: another right turn. Nezumi decides.

"Pull over."

Shion blinks. "Now? Where?"

"You see that farmland? Right there. Stop there."

Something flashes across Shion's face. To Nezumi's surprise, it's not discomfort, or a lack of willingness. He seems almost excited. An odd, withheld sort of excitement, but excitement nonetheless. "What if someone lives there?"

"With a barn like that? All the animals would escape. It's abandoned. Chop, chop, Shion."

Shion pulls over. The GPS recalculates. They both ignore it.


	5. Watching the World

Shion pulls onto the grass, stopping near the middle of the field, which Nezumi thinks is a little rude; abandoned farmland is still farmland after all, but it's the first interesting move he's made in the 4 hours they've been travelling together so Nezumi doesn't dare complain.

Shion turns toward Nezumi in his seat, back straightening out, his eyes shining with curiosity. The plastic smile from before is gone, replaced by a face alert with genuine interest. Nezumi thinks he's going to speak but instead violet eyes stare at him steadily, daring him to elaborate. Not one to be baited, Nezumi stretches his arms as best he can in the small car seat.

"Do you need something Shion?" Nezumi asks, voice playful, and just a little higher than usual.

"Well, I would like to know why you asked me to pull over. Although-" Shion looks out the window, voice impressively relaxed, "-it's a bit of a welcome break from your moaning. I had no idea a car could be so uncomfortable."

Nezumi coughs a little, feeling like a scolded child. "I didn't see you doing anything to remedy that particular situation."

"You were making so many irritated noises, I wasn't sure if you wanted me to 'remedy' it," Shion deadpans.

"I was trying to get your—" Nezumi's defensive retort is halfway out his mouth when he realizes that Shion is _teasing _him. He shuts his mouth, blinking a few times. "Shion, you're actually a bit of a dick. I'm almost impressed."

Shion practically glows with pride and laughs warmly. Something squirms around in Nezumi's chest at the sound.

"Thank you, Nezumi" Nezumi's unbuckling his seatbelt when he hears Shion speak next to him, his voice dripping with fatal amounts of sincerity. Nezumi debates bolting out of the car, but that would be rude.

Shion's smiling widely. Nezumi understands he isn't talking about his previous comment. He's tempted to roll his eyes or push him a little because really, there's nothing to sound so grateful about, all he did was command they pull over to alleviate some of the tension that had built up in the car. It's really not that big of a deal and certainly not worth _thanking _him for.

"Ah." He articulates, and scratches his neck, uncomfortable with Shion's directness.

As if sensing Nezumi's discomfort, Shion's voice returns, light and joking, to soothe his nerves, "By which, I mean, thank you for pinpointing my personality in such a inelegant way. It means a lot, coming from a master such as yourself."

Nezumi's aware Shion's only mocking him to make him feel less awkward about being thanked so suddenly. He's almost annoyed by his vaguely-insulting kindness, but the ridiculous nature of their situation, as well as Shion's strategy of _calling Nezumi a dick_ _to __**relax**__ him_ amuses him off enough to play along. He responds with his best impression of the elderly librarian who worked the morning shift and pretends to wipe a tear from his eye, speaking wistfully.

"You really have learned quickly, my student. I'm proud of you. Use your newfound abilities wisely, and never forget where you began." The temptation to ruffle Shion's beanie-covered hair as he performs surprises Nezumi. He writes it off as getting too into character.

Shion's quiet laughter returns, joyful and clear, the grin on his face showing how unabashedly impressed he is by Nezumi's imitation. Warmth fills Nezumi's chest and spreads to the tips of his fingers. Shion's laugh is contagious and he finds himself chuckling alongside him. The tension in the car almost completely gone, Shion makes eye contact and opens his mouth, eyes filled with contentment, "You—"

Shion pauses, swallowing a little, something seems to change on his face and Nezumi feels him put a couple of walls up. Confused, Nezumi's about to call him out when Shion asks again, voice a little firmer. "Why did we pull over?" He's facing Nezumi now watching him carefully, eyes gentle, but his arms are crossed.

Nezumi shoots him a look, not pressing the issue. "I wanted to see the view." Without waiting for Shion's response he opens the car door and steps outside. To his relief, the temperature has cooled slightly. It's still too hot to really be comfortable, but it's not miserable. Nezumi tentatively brushes the top of the car. Warm, but not scalding. He smiles, leaning against the side of the car. He feels the driver's side door open and the subsequent thump of the door shutting behind Shion. He walks around the car, taking the spot next to Nezumi, looking at the field around them curiously. He doesn't lean against the car opting instead to stand a few inches away from the side of the vehicle. He hears Shion's soft inhale when he sees how clear the sky is.

The amber of the sky has faded, replaced with a dusty grey dissolving into a deep pinkish orange. Dark blue-brown clouds float loosely around the setting sun. Nezumi walks a lap around the car, stretching his legs, Shion follows suit, except walking the opposite direction. They look stupidly choreographed, walking in opposing circles, but Nezumi can't bring himself to care. He comes to a stop at the front of the car and hears Shion whisper next to him with barely concealed awe,

"I've never seen anything like this."

Nezumi can't hold back a smile, "Actually, you did, about 15 minutes ago, when you were driving."

Shion tenses a bit, "I was focused on other things—"

"—Like your mechanical lover, I understand. Relationships can be so complicated. One minute they're on course, the next minute they're recalculating." Nezumi shakes his head pityingly.

Shion is quiet for a moment. Nezumi feels a momentary tug of panic when he sees how serious Shion's face is. Did he hurt his feelings? Nezumi opens his mouth to probe a little before apologizing but Shion suddenly breaks into a grin, taking a few steps forward. "I think I'd like to stretch my legs a bit more, would you like to join me?"

Nezumi nods, mumbling something halfhearted about a buddy system, and lets Shion lead him around the farmland in excited circles. The land itself is nothing to be deeply impressed by, filled with overgrown grass and weeds sprouting up at random intervals. Shion seems fascinated however, walking along a beaten track of yellowed grass and dirt, trampled a long while back by what seems to have been some sort of wheeled vehicle, judging by the matching line a couple of feet from it. Clearly, Shion hasn't been the first to have the idea to drive up here.

Occasionally a car will whoosh by, and the sounds of an unfamiliar engine will break the quiet. Nezumi feels a little self-conscious, standing out in the middle of a field, but Shion doesn't seem to notice. He speaks without looking back at Nezumi, his gaze fixed on the slowly darkening sky. "Do you think we'll get to see the stars?"

"Some, maybe. Light pollution being what it is, it'll be far from a show," Nezumi smiles a little, voice soft. "But once we get farther out, we'll definitely see a lot more."

"There's so much out here." Shion looks up again, Nezumi wonders if he's waiting for the stars to come out. The sky's a soft purple now, it won't be long before it gets hard to see. They should head back soon.

"People could never make something like this." Nezumi almost jumps at Shion's sudden comment. He clears his throat to recover and nods slowly.

"Yeah. Makes it more incredible, doesn't it?"

Shion offers a vague sort of grin, "I wonder though, how long it will be before they start trying to?"

"Make a new sky?" Nezumi snorts, "Is that a goal of yours, Shion? If it is I'm afraid we're going to have to have a serious talk."

Shion shakes his head. "Never." His voice is serious, "Too many people are trying to change what's already right. I'm not against optimization but too often it means losing this view in order to hand craft something _worse_, and for what?"

"Bragging rights, cock-measuring, or money. " Nezumi asserts coldly, "Isn't it always? The fatal goals of humanity, really. You think you're above them?"

"Probably not," Shion, confesses, hanging his head a little. Nezumi's impressed by his honesty, the resolve in his voice almost startling. "But I think this is view is enough. It's not a starting point or an end point for something more. It's just beautiful, and that's enough."

Nezumi watches Shion for a few seconds before quietly mumbling, "I agree."

Shion perks up at his comment and Nezumi can't help but elbow him gently, "It's getting late, we should start heading back—but first, Shion can I ask you something?"

"Y-yeah." Shion's hand impulsively goes to the back of his neck, tugging at the bottom of his beanie. Nezumi watches the motion carefully, wondering if it's a nervous habit.

"You have a really bad habit of stifling yourself, you know that?"

Shion sighs, continuing his fiddling. "Is that the question?"

"It leads into it." Nezumi elaborates, "Earlier on this fine evening, we shared a moment in the car after my magnificent impression, and you started to say something and trailed off. I want to know what you were going to say to me then."

Shion seems dumbfounded, hand immediately dropping from his hat. "That's it?"

"Do you want me to ask something else Shion?" Nezumi feels strangely victorious at having brought a stop to Shion's fidgeting.

Shion shakes his head, straightening up before mumbling, "Not really."

"Then that's all I'll ask." Nezumi clarifies, pleased with himself. Shion looks at him, some of the tension draining out of his body, replaced with confusion. If Nezumi had a camera, he'd definitely snap a photo.

Shion's forehead wrinkles in thought and it's kind of cute if Nezumi's being completely honest. "I don't…" Shion stumbles a bit before suddenly lighting up in recognition, "I remember now!"

"Congratulations, what was it?" Nezumi asks.

"You have a beautiful laugh." Shion says bluntly, and Nezumi chokes on air.

"Excuse me?"

Shion clarifies, "That's what I was thinking. You made your impression, and you laughed at your own joke, or maybe it was my laughter that made you laugh, I don't know. But I thought your laugh was beautiful. Probably the most beautiful laugh I've ever heard."

"You—can't just say things like that." Nezumi stares, dumbstruck.

Shion scratches his chin before replying. "Yes, I've been told that. Which is why I hesitated a little. I don't omit things without reason, you know. It is true though."

Nezumi feels his face heat up, now immensely grateful for the newly granted cover of night.

"Have I made you uncomfortable?" Shion asks, and Nezumi could punch him.

"Quite a bit." Nezumi manages to sputter out, already walking ahead. He can pretty much feel Shion's apology coming and he doubles around to flick Shion's forehead and show he's not really_ that_ bothered.

Shion jumps and lets out a startled "Hey!" in response. Something in the back of Nezumi's head alerts him that he _would_ be bothered if anyone else had said something that ridiculous. But there's something about how honestly Shion had complimented him that makes it stupendously difficult to really get irritated at him. An odd sort of powerlessness settles deep in Nezumi's gut, and he feels momentarily sick.

He quickly turns back around and walks ahead. It's difficult to find the car in the darkness, but Nezumi is nothing if not determined to flee this particular situation. He blindly feels for the door and tugs it open, immediately clambering into the driver's seat. Shion hesitates a moment, but climbs in the seat next to him. The first thing Nezumi does as driver is unplug the GPS and toss it in Shion's lap, ignoring Shion's irritated huff.

Nezumi just laughs pointedly at him, tries to flip on the headlights, and then realizes he doesn't have the keys.


	6. Adventurers

Nezumi feels like a moron. Getting flustered and haughty and making a grab for the wheel—when he didn't even have the fucking keys. _Shit._ He's just glad he had the decency not to say something too confident before taking the driver's seat.

He remembers laughing, though. And it _definitely _was a condescending laugh.

He hopes Shion didn't pick up on it, but that's unlikely. Shion's shown he's sharp and touchy- there's no way he wouldn't have noticed. Nezumi bites down a sigh, suddenly hyper aware of the fact that he's in _Shion's _car needing _Shion's _key for _Shion's _stupid, ill-advised, middle-of-the-year road trip, and just _how _did he get wrapped up so thoroughly in this stranger?

Is he even a stranger anymore?

Something slides across the dashboard, Nezumi glances up at the sound of metal harmlessly brushing against plastic. The object lands in his lap with a soft "ching". The keys: connected by a plain silver key ring. He gapes at the keys and then at Shion, before thinking to replace the look of surprise on his face with something less _scandalous._

But Shion isn't even looking at him. Instead, he's absorbed in the task of thoroughly scouring the inside of a small red bag. Nezumi momentarily wonders when he pulled the bag out of the trunk, but then realizes it was probably under his seat the whole time. He hears a zipper and watches Shion pull out a small rectangular device, and a book with a cover Nezumi can't quite make out in the darkness.

Shion proceeds to hook the device onto the cover of the book, and pushes a button on the side. The center of the device pops out, revealing a small blue light which floods the pages. He eagerly holds the glowing book up, smiling in a way that proudly screams 'I came prepared!' The only thing Nezumi can think of in response to his shining face is how Shion hadn't noticed how frustrated he was.

Here he was, expecting to have started a fight— and Shion hadn't even picked up on the fact he was actually _trying_ to be a jerk. But no— Shion's far too perceptive to not pick up on his discomfort—especially when he'd so easily done it before.

Perhaps he's just fighting through the tension himself, saving Nezumi the discomfort of apologizing because Nezumi's actions were stupid, but didn't bother him. In fact, that's the likely answer. Shion waves the book a little, trying to get Nezumi's attention but he's still caught up in figuring out Shion's actions.

Because, if Shion's really just ignoring a potential argument for the sake of maintaining peace in the car, he's offering Nezumi a hell of a lot more kindness than he deserves—but that works against him. Really it only makes Nezumi feel like more of an asshole.

"Nezumi, I'm talking to you." Shion mumbles, obviously annoyed. Nezumi feels guilt and gratefulness swirl around viciously in his gut.

Shion's still pointing at the book, and Nezumi catches a glimpse at the now-illuminated cover and fights the urge to cringe. "You brought fucking _Timon_?"

"Of course!" Shion flips open the play, seeming satisfied with Nezumi's reaction. "You're the one who bought it for me. I don't understand why you're complaining about my reading it."

"Because I don't enjoy watching other people waste their time." Nezumi scoffs as Shion blindly pats the door behind him, searching for the lock button. He succeeds in pressing it and leans lazily against the car door, pulling his knees up to on seat, attempting to get comfortable. He catches Nezumi's gaze, and speaks casually. "Well, I suppose it's good you won't be watching me then. Since it's your job to drive tonight. I'll probably go to bed in a few hours."

"Wait, bed?"

Shion nods, "Well, yes, I assume by taking my position as driver, you're offering to take first shift."

"Shifts?" He can't be serious.

"Well, yes, of course. What else would we be doing? We'll both take turns sleeping and just keep driving."

He nods to himself as if this is a completely ordinary decision. Nezumi's unable to keep from cracking up. Shion's eyes widen and he shuts the small book. He straightens up, eyebrows knitting together as his body tenses. He's dumbfounded, Nezumi can tell, and that only makes him laugh harder.

"Nezumi!? Are you alright? Nezumi!" Shion raises a hand, concern slowly fading into annoyance as Nezumi's laughter continues. "You…" His eyes narrow. Nezumi realizes he's about to slap him. Nezumi abruptly stops laughing, holding up both his arms in defense.

"Hey, hey—! What are you planning to do with that hand?"

Shion lowers it, speaking a little quieter, voice slightly mocking. "I was going to hit you. I was concerned you had entered some sort of hysterical fit."

"Don't do that!"

"Then don't laugh at me without explaining why." Shion frowns. "It's rude."

'So is hitting people!' Nezumi wants to shout but he bites his tongue, trying to drag the conversation back to where it was.

"Sorry for laughing." Shion crosses his arms, nodding at Nezumi to proceed, sated for the time being. "It was funny though—" Shion's eyes narrow again and Nezumi continues swiftly. "Do you have somewhere important to be, Shion?"

Shion's eyebrows raise a little. "Not really, we never settled on a destination."

"Then _why_ are you in such a hurry?"

Shion scratches his head, seeming to forget the beanie for a moment. He adjusts it. "I guess I just thought this is what people do on road trips."

"That's the life of a trucker, Shion. Complete with imbibing life-endangering amounts of coffee and developing a permanent driver's hunch. Let me be frank-" Nezumi stared at Shion, eyes serious, "-_You_ are not a trucker, and neither am I. I like beds, when they are available, and I fully intend to sleep in one tonight."

"I thought—" Shion frowns, face crinkling in thought, before offering Nezumi a slight nod. "Okay, then you're in charge of finding the hotel for tonight. We'll rotate on that duty too."

"Fair enough." Nezumi plugs the keys into the ignition, revs the car up and focuses on moving the car off the field. He hears Shion chuckle next to him.

"What is it, now?"

"Oh, I'm just surprised, I thought you'd be more frugal." Shion smiles at the terrible book as he speaks. Nezumi snorts.

"Frugality is one thing, willingness to throw away comfort without good reason is another. If you can be comfortable, why not allow it? Once in a while, something like this is fine. After all—" Nezumi waves a hand dramatically, "-it's for the sake of our grand adventure."

"And do you intend to use the GPS on this grand adventure?" Shion points to of the GPS, sitting in the small space between them.

"Of course not. I've got a good sense of direction, you don't have to worry."

Nezumi doesn't have to look at Shion to know he's rolling his eyes. "And you say I'm ridiculous for wanting to sleep in the car."

"Your sense of adventure is severely misplaced, Shion, you should get that checked out," Nezumi deadpans, and Shion laughs a little.

It's not quite the most beautiful sound Nezumi's ever heard, but he can't anything better so there's that.

Nezumi feels himself smiling, an odd sort of joy bubbling out of him. He grins, Shion flips a page in his book, and they drive on.


	7. Steps

Nezumi practically saunters into the hotel lobby. It's a decent place, more expensive-looking than he expected, with ornate carpets and half-asleep bellhops dressed in classic red and gold. Shion sleepily plods behind him, pulling his beanie down slightly.

"Impressed, Shion? From the countryside to-" Nezumi gesticulates proudly, walking backward in the general direction of the front desk. "-our humble nightly quarters, in just _two _hours. No GPS needed."

Shion yawns, still waking up. "It's great Nezumi. Really."

"You could at least try to sound enthusiastic about it."

"Remind me in the morning." Shion mumbles, rubbing at his eyes with his sleeve. He stares vacantly at the man behind the desk, though he probably isn't aware of it.

The man in question seems miserable, obviously exhausted from having to work the night shift. He's trying to smile but it comes out as an overworked grimace. When he thinks no one's looking, Nezumi catches him eyeing his reflection in the polished wood of the desk. The name "Tori" is emblazoned on a small black and white nametag on his breast pocket-it's been placed perfectly, he's likely been adjusting it all night. He's smoothing out his hair when he notices Shion is looking at him.

Nezumi watches him straighten out so quickly it's almost comedic. Nezumi moves closer, resting an elbow on the desk. He digs around in his pocket for the cash they managed to produce, out of their combined wallets, for a room. He sets it in front of "Tori", who's shifting uncomfortably under the unintentional force of Shion's gaze.

"Good afternoon—er evening, gentlemen!" Tori seems to stumble over the words a little, attempting to sound enthusiastic but his eagerness only serves to reveal how he's obviously still new at this. He shuffles some papers at the desk in a manner that Nezumi believes he thinks looks professional, but really just makes him look lost. He continues his shuffling, awkwardly still making eye contact with Shion. "I, um, like your beanie. It's very…becoming."

Shion smiles a little, vaguely recognizing he's being spoken to. "Oh, thank you."

The two pathetically stare at each other for another 30 seconds; Tori waiting for Shion to speak, Shion trying to avoid nodding off while standing. Nezumi's actually embarrassed _for_ them. He clears his throat and Tori jumps slightly.

"One room, please. Whatever this buys."

"Oh yes of course!" He looks at the rumpled wad of bills on the counter dubiously, and then turns back to Nezumi and Shion. "Just _one_ room, right?"

Nezumi keeps his face the picture of confidence, but nervously hopes that they have enough. "Yeah."

They already decided to split the cost for a room, but since Shion hadn't even anticipated hotel fees, it was cutting rather severely into his food budget.

Tori meticulously counts and re-counts the bills. He sets them down and fixes his papers again, without looking up. He scratches his neck, opening his mouth and shutting it. Nezumi can feel him attempting to formulate a sentence. He's about five seconds away from slapping the damn papers out of his hands, because really, get it together Tori- communication should not be this _difficult-_ whenShion frowns, waking up a little.

"Is it not enough?" He asks, voice quiet.

Tori has the decency to look apologetic. He shakes his head, finding his voice. "I'm sorry. The cheapest rooms here are at least three times this."

Shion nods, obviously disappointed. "Well, I suppose there's no getting out of it. Thank you very much for your help."

Nezumi fights the impulse to lay on the floor of the lobby in defeat. Haggling is something he's familiar with but with prices that high- no amount of batted eyelashes and half-assed flirting can fill that gap. How are they supposed to find another hotel now, and this late? Maybe they _should_ just sleep in the car.

"Um." Tori pauses, catching their attention before they move too far, he's shifting foot-to-foot again and Nezumi actively resists the urge to grab his shoulders and hold him still. He bites at his lip, looking over his shoulder before speaking, as though someone might be listening in. "I—shouldn't really do this but. I…I mean you can stay. If you want."

Shion blinks. "But the pricing—"

"Ah, don't worry about the pricing. People—" Tori's voice drops to a secretive whisper. "People fudge prices all the time and the rooms here are worth about half that so it's fine."

Nezumi frowns suspiciously. Why is he doing this? But Tori isn't looking at him, his gaze is centered entirely on_ Shion_. Shion's eyebrows draw together; face a bizarre cross between concern and pity. Tori adjusts his papers with newfound vigor. "Not that I've been fudging prices! I mean this is my first time so—" He seems to be speaking honestly and Shion smiles a little, cutting him off with the firm kindness of a kindergarten teacher.

"Then that's no reason to start lying now, is it?"

Tori looks guilty, he scratches at his neck nervously. "Well…"

Shion nods, firing a look at Nezumi to show this is a point not to be argued. Nezumi rolls his eyes, there's no way he'd accept a favor like that, anyway. There's always a catch to these things.

"It's alright, Tori. We'll find our way. You don't have to worry about us." Shion says as he reaches over and picks up the crumpled bills, sticking them into his pockets. He tugs Nezumi's arm gently to fully pull him away from the desk and starts to turn, before pausing and adding. "Oh, and Tori?"

"Y-yes?" Tori stands at attention. Nezumi's not sure whether to applaud or be a little disturbed by how quickly he's been wrapped around Shion's finger.

"You probably shouldn't be so willing to fudge prices for a stranger. It's important to have respect for your work. You don't seem like a dishonest person, so there's no reason for you to become one. Please be more cautious in the future."

Tori actually gulps and bows his head in understanding. Shion smiles back at him kindly, giving him a little wave before leading Nezumi outside.

"Harsh. You could have at least let him down gently." Nezumi grins, elbowing Shion playfully as they make their way to the car parked in the adjacent lot. He lowers the pitch of his voice a little, imitating Shion as best he can. " '_Please be more cautious in the future.' _So authoritative—I think you broke his heart."

Shion lazily pushes at Nezumi's elbow, which Nezumi lets give way easily. There's no real venom behind the action, as he's still chuckling a little at the startling accuracy of Nezumi's impression. "It's important. He could lose his job for that—he needs to understand the consequences of his actions."

"I can't argue with that—although, it's really none of our business if he loses his job."

"It is if we cause it. He didn't seem like a bad person, he was just misguided."

"Misguided people are capable of bad things, Shion." Nezumi frowns, voice a little more serious then he intends for it to be.

"What about you then?" Shion asks, staring at Nezumi intently. Nezumi blinks, surprised by the sudden accusation and the bizarre hurt he feels from it. He quickly masks it but it's too late and Shion's eyes have widened with regret. He quickly clarifies. "I didn't mean you were misguided! I just meant you had the chance to interject, but you stayed quiet. You must've agreed with me on some level."

Nezumi smiles to show there's no harm done. "You really need to keep track of your logic leaps there. You're leaving me behind. But, you're right, I do agree with the outcome, but for different reasons."

"Meaning?"

"To speak in economic terms, there's no such thing as a free lunch, Shion."

Shion crosses his arms. "So you just didn't trust him to keep his word."

"That's correct. Never accept something for free, Shion, it's just a bad idea." Nezumi opens the car door, tempted to take the passenger's seat, but remembers their agreement that he find the hotel tonight. He climbs into driver's seat. He looks over at Shion, who's buckling his seatbelt, to find him frowning.

"What is it?"

Shion stares at the dashboard, thoughtfully he mumbles softly. "Misguided people are capable of bad things."

Nezumi watches him, grip on the wheel tightening. He keeps his voice even. "Yeah, that's what I said."

"And just now, you said that you don't accept things for free." Shion's voice is quiet.

Nezumi raises an eyebrow. "Astute observation."

"I'm just thinking, it seems like it's difficult for you to trust people." Nezumi chuckles a little, but doesn't answer. He plugs the keys into the ignition, hoping to get out of this conversation as quickly as possible, but a pale hand wraps around his own before he has the chance to turn them. He swallows.

"Why did you agree to come with me then, Nezumi?" Shion stares at him, Nezumi feels something akin to panic in the face of such a straightforward question. His stomach lurches, and he can't meet Shion's eyes. He looks at the road.

"What good will that information do? You don't trust me, is that it?" Shion releases his hand, voice gentle.

"No, it's not that. I trust you." Nezumi knows this tone of voice, it's the same, demeaning tone of voice he used for Tori. He clenches the wheel tighter, attempting to calm his anger. "I just want to get to kn—"

He lashes out. " 'Get to know me'? Why? Let's say you actually do get to know me, then what will happen? What if you don't like what you discover, and we have to call this whole thing off? Wouldn't that be a fun day, going home when you still haven't learned a single thing about yourself!" Nezumi turns to face Shion, glaring. "Maybe you should try and figure out some of your own shit before you try and solve other people's problems!"

"I'm not trying to solve anything, Nezumi. I never said anything like that."

Shion's voice is steady and firm, but hurt passes across his face for a fleeting moment. Nezumi feels sick about having put it there. He looks back at the road, guilt pooling in his stomach, and watches Shion out of the corner of his eye. The hurt fades from Shion's face, and his look turns more thoughtful.

"Nezumi."

Nezumi is quiet, he releases his white knuckle grip on the wheel, but still doesn't look at Shion. Shion tries again.

"Nezumi."

He turns, hesitantly facing him. Shion's staring at him steadily, calm and understanding. He tries to swallow the knot in his throat, but Shion speaks and it only grows.

"I shouldn't have pushed you like that. However, I—I still do want to get to know you better. And since we're travelling together, I don't think that's completely out of line." Nezumi tenses a bit. "I won't force you to tell me anything, if you don't want to. But I like you, and I want to get to know you, Nezumi. That's the truth."

Nezumi nods, slowly, the knot in his throat cut.

"It wasn't fair of you to yell at me." Shion adds voice a little firmer, and Nezumi nods again.

"I shouldn't have." He hesitates before saying it, but it's the truth. He shouldn't have yelled. He isn't a child anymore.

"It's okay." Shion adjusts his beanie, and leans back into the seat.

Nezumi turns the key, seeing no point in prolonging the conversation, and Shion opens _Timon of Athens_ again.

Something still feels wrong about the silence that stretches between them.

Nezumi pauses a moment before hesitantly reaching out and flipping on the GPS. He looks at Shion, offering the small device.

"Can you find a hotel with this? A cheap one?"

Shion smiles.

* * *

NOTE: Tori is a super minor character in No. 6 Beyond. And when I say super I mean it.


	8. Nezumi does not get to sleep

The sun is rising; the GPS is ineffectually shouting out contradicting instructions, and Nezumi wants to punch through the windshield.

He stares at the road in front of him and a white Kia passes by, headlights bright. They are the only two cars on the road. Nezumi feels a sudden, sick sense of camaraderie with the tiny square car. He's actually kind of _touched _by the fact they're united in a mutual, lunatic mission to travel in the wee hours of the morning. He almost wants to wave at them, congratulate them for their efforts and _shit _he needs a bed _right now._

Shion sighs next to him, placing _Timon of Athens_ on top of his face in an attempt to cover against the glare from the white car's headlights. He's been napping off and on, the bastard.

"At least it has use as a face mask." Nezumi remarks: half to stay awake, half to prevent Shion from getting comfortable enough to fall asleep again. Shion snorts and waves his arm evasively. Nezumi laughs a little. "Was that supposed to be a response?"

Shion removes the book from his face. "It was supposed to end your attempt at conversation. I'm tired."

"Poor you." Nezumi shakes his head. "It's hard work, napping."

"I seem to recall you _taking_ the driver's seat." Shion placesTimonunder the seat, straightening up. He reaches for the GPS, checking their progress. He blinks, staring at the area in front of them, and then looks back at the GPS questioningly. He does the same action twice more for good measure. "If you turn right, up ahead-we should be there."

"You don't think it's that…" Nezumi frowns, understanding Shion's hesitance when he catches a glimpse at the sketchy building. It hardly looks like it's capable of standing, much less serving as some form of shelter for the night.

"It couldn't be anywhere else." Shion's frown rivals his own, but he tries to shake it off and offers Nezumi an ambivalent smile. "Well… it'll be cheap at least."

Nezumi nods, having stayed in his share of cheap rooms, but just the sight of this particular hotel screams '_you won't leave here alive'_ in loud, bloody letters. He pulls into the type of parking lot serial killers pray for, letting his eyes scan over cracked asphalt, bashed in streetlights, and dark sketchy street corners. He hears Shion unbuckle, and wearily climbs out of the car.

It's definitely cool outside now, the ungodly heat of the morning a distant memory. The entire morning feels distant- like it happened some other day and possibly to someone else. And now a new morning has started and Nezumi's not ready to greet it. They're sleeping in until noon, no questions asked.

Shion adjusts his beanie and Nezumi frowns, wondering if he's planning on sleeping in it. If he tries… that beanie's going to have mysteriously vanished by the time he wakes up. Probably. He seems out of his element, eyes nervously flicking around the near-empty lot. Nezumi can't help himself- he nudges his shoulder.

"Don't look so nervous. Are you looking to get mugged?"

Shion tenses a little and shakes his head. Nezumi leads them up the sidewalk unsteadily. He stumbles slightly on an unexpected crack in the walkway. Shion raises an eyebrow and he can almost hear his sarcastic, 'Do you need some help there?' Nezumi huffs, only moving faster.

He pretends to be interested in the chipped paint of the door to the hotel. Upon closer inspection, the entire ratty building seems to have at one point been painted some shade of seasick green. Nezumi eyes it disdainfully and crashes into a short figure walking out the door. "What the—"

"Shit! What the hell're you doing—"

Something furry brushes past Nezumi's leg. He hears a loud string of profanities and a strangled growl that vaguely resembles 'grab him you idiot!' He reaches out momentarily but the animal is already out of his reach. "Fuck, Shion, grab it!"

"Grab what—!?" Shion stumbles, nearly tripping over the creature, a dog Nezumi now recognizes, as it runs between his legs. "Ah!"

"Fuck!" The stranger barks out, roughly pushing past Nezumi and taking off after the animal.

Shion, however, is faster. He chases after the brown dog as quickly as his legs will allow. Nezumi stands at the sidewalk a fraction of a second longer before speeding into the darkness after the both of them.

He finds them at the curb. The stranger is hunched over, dejectedly resting their hands on their knees, staring out into the street. They're panting, but their body is tense and still. Shion hesitantly rests a hand on their shoulder and they immediately push him off.

"This is your fault, you know! You could have caught him!"

Nezumi steps in. "The dog wasn't our responsibility, you should've been holding onto the leash tighter. Don't attack us for—"

Shion stops him, holding up a hand. "We're sorry. We didn't see you but that's still no excuse. We'll help you look for him, okay?"

"Damn right, you're helping me look. If you think you can just—" The figure is so angry they have to gather up air before finishing their sentence. "—try to walk into my _house_ and cause me to lose my dog without paying for it you've got another thing coming!"

The homeowner glares steadily at both of them with surprisingly sharp brown eyes. Nezumi gets a decent look at the kid's face. It's difficult to tell their gender in the shadows, but their chest seems relatively flat. Their voice is low as well. Tentatively, Nezumi assumes him male. He has greasy hair tied into a high ponytail and smells like he'd benefit from a bath or twelve. Puberty seems to be smacking this kid in the face— at least in the weird body-odor department—they smell like a sick combination of dog and beef jerky_. _

"Your house?" Shion asks, confused. "The GPS told us it was a hotel."

"_Was_ a hotel! The old man that ran the place kicked the bucket- good riddance. It's my place now."

Something surges in Nezumi's gut at the heated 'good riddance' the kid delivers. He shoves it down, now isn't the time to get upset. Shion seems to notice, judging by the way his eyes meet Nezumi's curiously. Oddly, he doesn't say anything, true to his word about not pressing.

Thin fingers snap in his face, forcing his attention. "Don't fuckin' zone out on me! We're going to find him!"

Nezumi matches the asshole's glare. He's tempted to let him go after his damn dog alone, and he normally would—if it had escaped in any other way. However, this time, Nezumi actually _was _somewhat responsible in the escape. It wouldn't be fair to leave the kid to run after it alone.

It doesn't stop him from being pissed off about searching. He crosses his arms, begrudgingly, as Shion takes over, voice gentle. "Does the dog have a name? Do you?"

The kid nibbles at his lip, shaking his head, "He's new. I just found him the other day." He looks impatiently down the street where the dog took off. "I'm Inukashi, just—fuck-meet me at the hotel if you catch him. Don't you _dare_ run-this is your responsibility too!" His voice catches slightly, he's panicking, but trying to keep calm to save face. Nezumi feels a momentary pang of guilt.

"We'll definitely find him, Inukashi. Don't worry." Shion's voice is so soothing Nezumi almost believes him. The dog-owner nods curtly.

"Be careful wandering around in the dark," Nezumi adds, "You never know what you're going to find."

Inukashi glares. "You should watch out too. A pretty face like that—" He pauses. "Actually, no. Any creep would run as soon as you open your damn mouth." Nezumi can _hear _his nervousness as he runs off, kicking up dust on the road.

"Hear that, Shion? He thinks I'm pretty."

Shion rolls his eyes. "Please don't act like you've never been called that before. We need to get going too." He points at the fork in the road. "Neither of us were quick enough to see which road he took, so it's possible he took the left path as well. We should look there first."

Shion starts jogging and announces. "We should shout something out."

"He doesn't have a name. And are you trying to get the entire neighborhood to kill us?"

"He shouldn't be too far. Dogs respond well to warm-sounding voices whether or not they're called by their name. If you just speak warmly, he'll probably come."

Nezumi shakes his head. "I'll leave the warmth to you Shion."

Shion fires a look in his direction that could probably wither plants. "Nezumi, we need to find this dog."

Nezumi sighs before letting out a "Hey there!" half-heartedly, calling out to the dog in the darkness. Shion follows suit. At first it's awkward, attempting to think of things to say, but eventually they settle on various iterations of "dog".

They walk further around the neighborhood. A car drives past them and Shion frowns. "I really hope he's okay."

"Yeah, me too. I'd rather not have to pay for it." Nezumi yawns, and Shion elbows him.

"Be respectful. That dog is important to Inukashi."

Nezumi sighs, calling out to the dog again. Shion shakes his head—all traces of nervousness gone from his body, replaced with iron determination. He walks confidentially over a pile of broken bottles stained with some sort of reddish liquid. Nezumi smiles a little, oddly proud of him for not asking if it's blood. It isn't—for the record.

They circle the block five times-no dog in sight. When they arrive back at the hotel, it's light outside. Nezumi's tempted to scream, but he doesn't. He is stronger than that.

Inukashi's standing in front of the door, arms crossed.

"Any luck?" Shion calls out. Inukashi shakes his head grimly.

"I think it's time to cut our losses." Nezumi frowns. "How much was the dog?"

"2 thousand dollars." Inukashi practically growls. In the light, Nezumi can see faint tear tracks on his surprisingly round cheeks. He rubs his eyes with his sleeve, speaking roughly. "Pay up."

Nezumi sighs, too tired to put up with this shit. "Look, that's a lie, and I understand you're upset but there's no way in hell I'm paying that. I'm sorry." He draws no enjoyment from kicking someone who's obviously very sad but _2 thousand_? He saw the dog. That dog was not worth 2 thousand dollars. Maybe 5 bucks.

"He was a stray, wasn't he?" Shion speaks up, and Inukashi visibly winces.

"So what?"

Nezumi clarifies. "So he was free."

Inukashi almost hits him but Shion steps in front of him. His clenched fist lowers, but doesn't loosen.

Shion clears his throat. "I was _going_ to say, that if he was a stray, he probably knows his way around the area. It's possible he's just going to come back. I'm sorry Inukashi, I'll find a way to—"

"To make up for it? You can't. It won't bring him back." Inukashi's sleeve is wet; he stares at it rather than Shion.

Shion pauses, ashamed.

Nezumi watches him, trying to fight the apology working up through his throat. He already apologized once—it's pointless to waste words and apologize again.

Shion seems to be of similar mind. He shuts his mouth and bows his head a little. Nezumi notices he reaches for his phone in his pocket, although his fingers barely brush it, before he looks back up at Inukashi. "I'm going to try and search some more. Nezumi you can rest in the car, or come with me."

"Shion, we've already-"

"I'm not giving up, there are still places we can look that are farther out. You don't have to come with me. Get some sleep." Shion's voice is dripping with finality. Nezumi despairingly wonders where he pulled this determination from. Fuck beds, he'll sleep in the car, he's tired enough- but he doesn't want Shion travelling alone. He'll probably be fine. Nezumi weighs how much he cares.

Inukashi stands at the door, breathing in, before pointing at Shion. "Hang on, I'm coming with you. We'd better find him."

Shion nods, smiling reassuringly at Inukashi who quickly breaks eye contact, scratching his neck.

Nezumi sighs, hanging his head slightly, hands tied. "I'm coming too. You better have a plan for this Shion."

The look Shion fires at him, a sort of uncomfortable grin, does not inspire courage.


	9. Trash Talking

Crammed between Shion and a putrid-smelling garbage bag— _someone_ had fish last night—Nezumi questions all his life choices.

Inukashi's looking annoyingly comfortable, having set up a small barricade of heavier trash bags against the open back to keep them from rolling into the street. This can't possibly be legal, or even _sanitary._

"Quit complaining, and be glad the truck's only been to a few houses. We can watch the road this way." Inukashi gruffs, legs crossed, holding firmly onto his position between two bags. He peeks through the garbage wall, eyes on the pavement. Nezumi's too tired to point out the fact that he hasn't said a single word in complaint. Inukashi reaches out, brushing the top of one of the bags. "He'll show up. He really loves to chase these things."

"That's not very safe." Shion says, legitimately concerned and Nezumi's jaw drops a little.

"This isn't very safe!" He desperately points out, trying to keep some of the sleep-deprived confusion out of his voice. Inukashi shrugs. Shion just nods sagely, steadying himself by resting a hand Nezumi's shoulder. He peeks over the stinking wall—checking to see if the dog is running after them.

That's the fucking plan: Ride in a _garbage truck_, and hope the dog just_ shows up _to _pursue_ it_. _Written, patented, and openly offered by _fucking Inukashi._

If they make it out of this alive, Nezumi's suing someone. He's not sure who yet, considering the fact he was tired enough to climb in this deathtrap himself, but someone's going to pay through the nose for this.

"Well, yes." Shion speaks calmly as if he's explaining some easy concept to a toddler. "But we're _aware_ it's dangerous. I can think of at least three health and safety codes this violates—but we're choosing to be here. I don't think your whining is very helpful Nezumi."

Inukashi grunts in agreement. "He's worth it. And if we want to find him by tonight, this is the best way."

Sufficiently ganged up on, Nezumi shuts up, disgruntled.

"I just hope Getsuyaku doesn't get in trouble, letting us ride in the back of his truck like this."

"With the amount of money we paid him, believe me, he'll be fine. Garbage men aren't exactly rolling in it." Nezumi glares, having paid generously out of his hotel budget to sit in garbage truck run by a complete stranger who just so happened to be picking up trash outside of Inukashi's home. What has his life come to? Bribing garbage workers? This is not how he wanted to spend this week.

Worst of all, he's _actually_ starting to adjust to the garbage smell. Man's ability to adapt is a beautiful and scary thing. He rests his cheek against the salmon-bag and sighs, exhausted. "Wake me when you guys are ready to give up."

He shuts his eyes, able to feel Shion's annoyed sigh due to their proximity. He dozes lightly, wrapping an arm around Shion's waist in assurance that if he does actually nod off, he won't slide around the truck. Shion seems to understand and doesn't pull away.

"Inukashi?" Shion's whispering, not that Nezumi's asleep yet, but he appreciates the effort.

Inukashi snorts loudly in recognition, obviously not caring if he wakes Nezumi or not. Asshole. "What?"

"Do you take in a lot of strays?"

Nezumi hears rustling, Inukashi's probably adjusting, to get comfortable. "Yeah, I've got five right now. They're hard to feed all the time, but it's better than leaving them out to starve in the cold."

Shion hums softly in agreement. It's silent and Nezumi thinks he's finally going to get some rest when Inukashi speaks up again. He's whispering this time.

"This isn't just about the dog you know. Though it's family and gotta be protected." Inukashi's voice is surprisingly soft. Nezumi listens intently, surprised. He slows his breathing- feigning sleep isn't hard when he's this exhausted.

"What is it about, then?"

Inukashi doesn't speak for a while, Nezumi can almost sense the fact he's being stared at. Shion shifts slightly.

"There's this kid. He's like, four or something, now." Inukashi speaks quietly, voice surprisingly fragile. "His parents don't have a lot of money and his mom's real sick—doesn't have a lot of time left if you ask me— so they drop him off to stay with me sometimes. It's a big hotel so…I don't really mind."

He feels Shion breathe in and nod. Inukashi's quiet again. "What's he like, Inukashi?"

"He's a real good kid. He understands the dogs, and he's just real nice to them. That dog was his favorite, y'know." Nezumi can almost hear the bitter smile in Inukashi's voice. "I'm not a giving person, hell, I'm pretty much the opposite. But…I don't wanna tell the kid that dog he likes so much is dead, you get me?"

He feels Shion swallow before he speaks. "Is it just you in that hotel, Inukashi?"

"Yeah. The old man was there too—sometimes. He was worthless, even when he was alive. Saved my ass though, taught me where to get food, so I'm grateful, I guess. I'm fine though. I got the dogs, and the kid sometimes."

Nezumi shifts, not wanting to hear Inukashi continue. At Nezumi's movement, Inukashi abruptly stops speaking. He looks back out through the garbage pile.

"I hope we find him, Inukashi." Shion says, voice soft.

"Yeah, me too."

Nezumi sits up, removing his arm from Shion's waist and placing it back on the metal floor of the massive trunk. Shion looks at him, offering him a slight smile. "Can't sleep?"

Nezumi shakes his head. "Guess I'll have to keep an eye out for the dog instead."

Inukashi looks at him, surprised, but doesn't say anything.

The three of them take turns watching for any signs of animal activity. When he's not on duty, Shion's examining his phone. He's not sending any messages, just staring at it. A photo, maybe?

"What's with the hat? It's fucking hot out." Inukashi blurts after a particularly long silence. Shion nearly chokes on his own tongue trying to reply.

"It, ah, saves me from answering a lot of questions."

Inukashi doesn't let him off the hook. "About?"

Shion gathers his composure, focusing on monitoring the street. "My hair."

"It natural?" Inukashi seems genuinely fascinated, trying to catch a peek. Shion scratches his neck uncomfortably.

"Sort of. It—" Shion abruptly cuts off, almost standing up but quickly thinking better of it. "—Look!"

Nezumi does. "I'll be damned…"

The brown dog chases after the truck, Nezumi can tell in the light it's obviously malnourished, probably intending to steal food. The red leash is still hanging around its neck. It's definitely Inukashi's stupid mutt.

Shion pulls out his phone, immediately calling Getsuyaku to tell him to pull over. Inukashi looks ready to leap out of the vehicle.

The truck lurches a little as it comes to a messy stop. Nezumi feels Shion wrap an arm around him to steady himself, and Nezumi grabs Inukashi's shoulder to stop him from rolling around too badly. He's surprised to find it soft and thin.

He doesn't have much time to think about his discovery, because Inukashi roughly pulls away and climbs over the bag pile. The dog seems to recognize him. It sits, as though expecting a treat, probably reacting to Inukashi's more-rank-than-usual smell. A smell, Nezumi realizes with a grimace, he now shares.

Inukashi's arms are around the mutt faster than he can process, picking up the leash in a quick, desperate motion. He doesn't say anything, because he doesn't need to, and the dog doesn't pull away when Inukashi buries his face in its coarse fur.

Shion still has an arm around his shoulders. Nezumi shifts a little to point out this fact, not that he's bothered by it. Shion retracts his arm, apologizing.

Nezumi hesitates before ruffling Shion's beanie-clad hair. "It's fine. You did a good job."

He means it. Shion's cheeks turn a little pink at the praise and he smiles easily before fixing the beanie, now a little loose on his head.

"Not that I had a lot of help from you." Shion offers, playfully.

Nezumi takes the bait, but smiles a little. "Yeah, well, you handled this one fine on your own."

"No, I think this one was all Inukashi." Shion watches Inukashi mumble something to the dog-it licks his ear and he laughs a little. "I think that little kid's good for him."

"You knew I was listening?"

"I figured it out."

Inukashi turns back to face them, finally pulling away a little from the happily panting dog. He's smiling, a lopsided, toothy grin, but there's something entirely sincere about it. Shion's clapping and Nezumi grins too, oddly proud of having had some part in this reunion, bizarre though it was.

But if this escapade didn't earn them a free hotel room, he's going to climb back in the garbage truck and never leave.

* * *

NOTES: Don't ride in the back of a garbage truck it's a bad and dumb idea.


	10. Sleeping Arrangements

_There's a mouse in the shower_. It's halfheartedly pawing at the drain, probably having recently chased something down there.

Nezumi's not even surprised.

Naked, tired, and having surpassed all caring, he turns on the water without even blinking. The mouse scurries out of the shower with impressive speed. Good.

Inukashi still made them pay for the shitty room—half price because it was 'half their fault the dog was lost in the first place'. Nezumi could have killed him, but then who would take care of the dog? He better have gotten in that garbage truck for a reason. He and Shion split the cost, and Nezumi steals the shower. It consoles him somewhat.

He rests his forehead against the decrepit tile, shivering. The water is freezing. He's not sure what he was expecting; nothing really seems to have gone according to plan today. He soaps up his hair with some expensive shampoo he borrowed, with no intention of returning, from the school dressing room.

His hair, at least, will look impeccable. Even if the rest of his life refuses to follow suit.

Nezumi sighs deeply, grabbing a bar of soap jammed awkwardly in the corner of the shower. It smells like dog and he tries not to think too hard about that. He lathers it on with ease, leaning back into the downpour.

The skin on his back throbs dully when it comes in contact with the water. He fights the natural impulse to jerk away and rinses off the rest of his body. The scar is old now, the occasional jolt of pain is rare but easily managed—Nezumi attempts to ignore it. There's nothing that could have been done.

There's no one to hate. The rage of his youth, the ferocity in which he pursued directionless vengeance, and all his soul-searching in high school— it all culminated in that one answer.There was no one he could hate for what happened without hating absolutely everyone, including himself. But he can't forget.

He thinks of Gran and feels like a child again, spending endless hours in between massive, dusty bookshelves to avoid listening to another rage-driven story. Everything about her is so vivid; images pierce his skull in sharp bursts: her straw-textured gray hair and wrinkled skin, her rare smiles, her cold eyes. He reaches to brush the tears away from her cheek in the middle of the night but his hands are too small, too weak, too fumbling to reach her face.

He tries so hard not to remember, but she made sure he'd never forget.

Nezumi mentally repeats every monologue he's ever memorized and then runs through his day moment-by-moment to distract himself from the memories digging into his brain. They pool behind his eyes, soak into in his chest, and burn his throat.

He isn't in that house anymore. He refuses to be.

He thinks of Shion, and the field they watched the sunset in. He thinks of that awful beanie and questionably-purple eyes and the damn GPS. He thinks of Inukashi and the stupid dog, and tries to piece together a loose image of what the visiting kid would look like in his head. He thinks of Shion again, sitting on the hotel bed probably waiting for him to get out of the shower.

He breathes in, and breathes out. He shivers and feels the cool water and it's _so cold_ but that means he didn't burn. It's only sleep deprivation, making him feel so small again. Nezumi knows this.

He's okay, slowly. He carries on.

When Nezumi's satisfied he no longer smells like fish, rotten cabbage, or any sick combination of the two, he steps out of the shower. He dries off, slipping on some underwear and a pajama shirt— pants optional at this point. He attempts to shake his hair dry and throws open the door.

"I'll tell her, I know, you're right…"

Shion has his beanie off. He's facing away from the bathroom door, on the phone. Nezumi can't see his face but he can see his hair— pure white and reflecting the moonlight that slips through the open curtains. For a moment Nezumi's struck by how stunning _Shion_ looks—almost otherworldly. Nezumi only sees him in silhouette, but the light shines around his hair forming a halo of sorts. He swallows and almost says something stupid and complementary, but Shion shuts the curtains and the moonlight immediately stops working its magic. Nezumi once again falls back into harsh, frizzy, reality.

Shion's hair, although lovely, is practically pasted to the top of his head with sweat. The sides, which, Nezumi guesses, are supposed to hang loosely are instead glued firmly to his cheeks. He has countless random fly-aways that stick up at odd, unnatural angles, showing exactly which direction he pulled to get the beanie of his head. That's what travelling in a tight hat for a day straight will do to you. He looks terrible.

Shion presses his phone closer to his ear, still not noticing Nezumi standing at the bathroom door. "I— I was planning to I just— …yes, thank you. I'm okay."

His hand moves from the curtains to run through his mess of hat-hair. He musses it up as best he can, succeeding in getting rid of some of its flatness. It awkwardly sticks to his fingers in a losing combo of static and sweat. He wipes his hand on his pants. Nezumi can easily imagine the face he's making: a combination of disgust and exhaustion.

The color really is _incredible_ though. Nezumi can't help but wonder what it looks like dry and without interference.

"Thank you Mom. I love you too." Shion's voice is sweet, but dripping with stress.

He rubs his forehead, turning around— Nezumi assumes— to rest his back against the wall. He freezes mid-turn, staring at Nezumi as if he's just been caught smuggling some sort of illicit substance. His eyes immediately flick to his beanie, sitting on the rickety dresser. His thumb slides across the touch screen on his phone automatically, hanging up. He sets the phone down, quickly reaching for his hat.

"Are you really going to put it back on? It's a little pointless now, isn't it?"

Shion's hand falls. "That is true."

"Hey, it's fine." Nezumi does his best to smile, but Shion's clearly avoiding his gaze and that bothers him more than he'd like. He clears his throat loudly, and Shion looks up. "Look, I won't ask why alright? You clearly don't want to talk about it."

Shion scratches his head, blinking. "Oh no, it's not that. I was planning on warning you. Before you saw, you know." He motions to his hair, looking nervously at Nezumi's chest. "I don't sleep in the hat after all. I just…" He trails off.

"Just what?"

Shion quickly looks back out toward the window, brow furrowed. He wrings his hands. "I just was _really _hoping to explain it when I was more awake and you were -"

"Then wait to tell me. No one's forcing you to talk about your hair, jeez. How obsessed do you think I am?" Nezumi laughs a little, walking past him to check out the bed. He watches Shion, or more accurately, Shion's hair out of the corner of his eye. It practically glows. He sits on the mattress, it's pretty hard, but comfortable enough. He bounces on it once curiously.

Shion's staring at him. Nezumi lays down, not bothering to pull up the covers. "Don't explain for my sake, if you don't feel like it. _Do_ go shower though, you reek."

Shion doesn't move. Nezumi looks at him. "What is it?"

"I didn't expect you to say that." Shion scratches his neck. "I thought this would…"

"Matter to me? Change something? I'm curious, but I doubt it changes anything." Nezumi shuts his eyes and hears Shion cough into his sleeve. Nezumi is content to sleep, and Shion doesn't try to speak again. He curls up and starts to nod off, assuming Shion left to shower.

"Nezumi?" Shion's voice startles him awake. Nezumi groans, burying his face in his pillow.

"What _now_?"

"We're sharing the bed aren't we?" Nezumi looks up at him, Shion's gaze is steady and unapologetic. He's holding a pair of stupid ass matchy-matchy blue pajamas close to his chest. He still smells like fish.

"Yes. Don't start acting bashful now, we agreed to this at the first hotel, it saves money."

"It's not that." Shion clears his throat, but doesn't make any moves to say anything. He only stares at the edge of the bed.

"Spit it out, or shower Shion! Or do you need some tips on your personal hair-care routine? Let me fuckin' sleep!" Nezumi snaps.

"Could you please put on some pants?"

Nezumi blinks. Tries to read Shion's face- surprisingly blank for such a ridiculous question. He's probably joking. Probably.

"What, afraid you won't be able to keep your hands off me?" Nezumi teases slightly, lying back down. He can't believe Shion woke him up for this.

Shion quickly turns to face the bathroom. His hand goes to his hair and he scratches it awkwardly. "I have better self control than that."

His ears are red and Nezumi _really_ wishes he didn't notice that.

Shion's chuckle is forced and uncomfortable. "I am going to shower now."

Rushing into the bathroom with alarming speed, Shion loudly shuts bathroom door behind him. Nezumi stares at it, denying the blush slowly forming on his own cheeks. He stands up and grabs a pair of pajama pants. He slips them on and curls up on his half of the bed.

It probably meant nothing.

It makes it hard to sleep anyway.


	11. Beginnings

The sun is lightly shining through the shitty curtains and Nezumi wakes up to a barricade.

He expects to roll over and see Shion, but he's greeted with a face full of white pillows. Brain still not quite at full processing speed, Nezumi stares at them dumbly. They form a soft wall between them, splitting the bed straight down the middle. A pillow at the top of the stack seems precariously close to falling off.

Curiously, Nezumi prods at it with his finger- it tumbles over. A wrathful growl is unleashed from the other side of the bed. Shion sits up sharply and adjusts the fluffy blockade with disturbing intensity.

"Shion, what the hell?"

Nezumi knew last night was awkward but Shion shouldn't need a literal wall to keep from jumping his bones. He hopes.

Unwillingly, Nezumi recalls the slow, hesitant way Shion had crawled under the covers last night- as if trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. He now knows exactly how Shion likes to curl up only using one pillow, and that he barely moves at all in his sleep save for his steady soft breaths. He knows how Shion's breath felt on his neck—light and gentle. It was disturbing how easy it was to fall asleep beside him, even though he was uncertain of his feelings.

Maybe he needed the wall more than Shion.

Nezumi swallows at the thought and Shion thumps him with a pillow.

"I'd ask how you slept but I know the answer to that." Shion looks downright unhinged, white hair disheveled and tangled miserably. There are bags under his eyes. Nezumi stares.

"I'd ask the same, but you're doing a pretty good job of making that clear with the pillow wall. Not to mention your…" Nezumi trails off, gesturing to Shion's face in general.

"It was a shield. For my protection." Shion glares, smoothing his hair as best he can.

"You know…" Nezumi smiles playfully. "You could have just used the shower, the water's cold enough." Shion's ears redden again. Nezumi pats his shoulder pityingly and Shion halfheartedly pushes his hand away, glaring.

"A shower wouldn't help that situation- that doesn't even make sense." Shion corrects him, slowly sitting up. Nezumi laughs, shaking his head.

"Well it would be a quick way to keep _yourself_ clean and your socks safe."

Shion stares at him for a few seconds, gaping. "That's…not what happened."

"It would have let you get some sleep."

"It wasn't like that—Hey!" Shion tries to hit him with the pillow again and Nezumi laughs harder, catching it easily.

"Shion, relax." Nezumi taunts, grin spreading. Why is he provoking him like this? He was planning on letting the subject drop but Shion's face is only getting redder and that only serves to egg him on further. The desire to continue teasing him until that blush spreads down his neck is almost overwhelming, but why? Something vague in Nezumi's mind warns him to stop now before things can escalate.

Nezumi drops the pillow quickly and stands up. He has to put some space between them. It's better this way. Shion looks at the fallen pillow for a moment before turning away to reach under the bed. He pulls out his bag and roots though the clothes inside. "You could have warned me about your kicking, you know."

Nezumi stretches lazily, catching a glimpse at the clock: 4:40 AM. After an all-nighter like theirs, it's not surprising. "What?"

"Your kicking. In the middle of the night." Shion gathers up a plain grey t-shirt and jeans. He folds them in his arms before clarifying. "Repeatedly."

Nezumi almost winces but forces a smile instead. "Ah, and the true reason behind the pillow wall is revealed." Nezumi climbs out of bed, reaching for a shirt and pants.

"It was necessary." Shion says firmly, but softens. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"No." Nezumi quickly answers struggling to keep his voice neutral. "I just kick in my sleep sometimes. I'm an active guy. Sorry about that." He can't remember if he had a dream last night and has no intention of remembering. Shion frowns slightly, walking over to the bathroom.

"It's fine. " He shuts the door behind him, once again keeping true to his word and not pressing. Nezumi hears the sound of an electric toothbrush.

With Shion gone, Nezumi takes the opportunity to change clothes. He's not ashamed of his scars, but he's in no mood to explain them. It's none of Shion's business, after all. None of it is.

He spots Shion's beanie sitting on the table and hesitantly picks it up. It's itchy. He's surprised to find it's actually been knit meticulously. He kind of wants to throw it out the window.

"Safu knit it for me for my 17th birthday." Shion's behind him. Nezumi jumps, almost dropping it.

"Safu? Girlfriend of yours?"

"My best friend. I was self-conscious about my hair, so she made it so I could cover it up if I wanted. Of course, she's always telling me I need to stop relying on it." Shion scratches his neck, smile simultaneously guilty and affectionate.

"Sounds like she's got the right idea." Nezumi spins the beanie on his finger. "You really need to stop hiding behind it."

Shion looks away, moving across the room to repack his toothbrush. "I need to stop hiding in general," he mumbles cryptically.

Nezumi raises an eyebrow, but Shion isn't looking at him.

"You should brush your teeth, Nezumi. We've got to get on the road."

Nezumi nods, still holding the beanie. "Are you going to wear this today?"

"Yes, of course."

Nezumi spins it on his finger again, thoughtfully. "I don't think you should."

To his surprise, Shion laughs. "I knew you would say that." He scratches his head. "Can I have a little time to think about it?"

"Do what you want, Shion, don't ask my permission. I'm just sharing my opinion."

Shion seems a little startled but nods. "Right." He sits on the bed and shuts his eyes, thinking. Nezumi sets the beanie beside him, and heads to the bathroom.

He hasn't moved by the time Nezumi's finished brushing his teeth and hair.

"Well, Shion?"

Shion pauses before opening his eyes. "I'll wear it as we leave the hotel, but I'll take it off in the car, later when it's just us."

Nezumi rolls his eyes. "All that thinking for that answer?"

Shion's quiet, he stares at his socks. Nezumi sits beside him on the bed and squeezes his shoulder gently. "Well, it's a start at least."

Shion slips his beanie back on and Nezumi can't help but feel a little proud in the fact that it's only temporary.


	12. Thank you

Shion, rather than make a quick exit as Nezumi wishes, sits on the bed in order to write a thank-you note to Inukashi for the musty, overpriced trap of a room.

"Really romantic, Shion. I'm sure Inukashi will appreciate the classic note-on-the pillow."

"We spent a lot of time together, a note is the least we can offer without a formal goodbye." He shoots a glare at Nezumi. "And besides, I want to know how things go with the hotel in the future. Do you think he'll open it up again?"

"That's up to him." Nezumi shakes his head, walking over to the to the door. The paint has chipped off at the bottom- the wood riddled with dozens of tiny pinprick indents. Nezumi imagines a puppy teething there. "If he's got an iota of sense he'll remodel and reopen it. It's best not to sit on these things if they can make you money- this place is shitty but it gets the job done."

Shion nods in agreement before holding up the note. "Do you want me to sign for you?"

"Put down, 'thanks for making us pay after doing you a favor.' "

"You can write that yourself." Shion laughs and offers him the note and pen. Nezumi notices their fingers brush lightly with the exchange. The note is simple.

_Thank you for letting us stay in your hotel. Good luck! –Shion_

Next to Shion's name is his phone number. Nezumi smiles a little. "You actually think he'll call you?"

"I don't know. But I'd like it if he did."

Nezumi looks Shion over, raising an eyebrow. "Really?"

"He seems…honest. I'd like to be friends." Shion scratches his head. "It's strange. I'm not very sociable. But I thought I'd take this chance."

"Yeah? What's put you in this risk-taking mood?" Nezumi asks curiously, looking at Shion's meticulous handwriting. It reminds him of the note that started this mess in the first place—he feels his gaze soften slightly. Shion tilts his head a little, thinking. His eyes study Nezumi's face for a moment and Nezumi fleetingly wonders if he's going to pin his amateur social skills on him.

"I think it's the travelling." He announces confidently. It's a surprisingly good answer and Nezumi's impressed.

"Yeah?" He hums thoughtfully, twirling the pen in his hands. "Travel does help with thinking."

"It's humbling."

Nezumi raises an eyebrow. "How do you figure?"

"It's just so different than I thought it would be." Shion speaks slowly. His whole body is alert- bursting to express everything inside of him at once because words aren't enough. He's so…_open_. He struggles freely, comfortably—judging himself for his actions but never seeming to give up on his ideals. Just _why_ is he trying so hard?

Shion licks his lips and tries to start up again. "The world- all of it. It's so big. I knew it was, of course, but… seeing it. It's—" His voice catches, vocabulary abandoning him.

"Indescribable." Nezumi smiles wryly, bailing him out.

Shion nods. "Indescribable. I thought I'd feel small, out here." He pauses, looking at the bed. "But I don't. Not at all. I feel…more than that somehow. Fuller. Like I'm finally a part of life and not just passing through."

"Profound." Nezumi snorts a little, writing under Shion's heartfelt thank you.

_You should have the bed checked for fleas. Good luck. –Nezumi_

Shion reads over his shoulder, frowning. "I'm being serious, Nezumi." Of course he is. Nezumi swallows a sigh, exhausted despite having just woken up. There's no reason for it. He kneads the back of his neck, attempting to rid himself of some of the tension there.

He breathes in. "Yeah, I know you are."

Nezumi focuses on scrawling his phone number next to Shion's in the messiest way possible.

"He won't be able to read your number." Shion remarks, looking at Nezumi's purposefully unintelligible scrawl.

"It's there, he'll just probably call a few other people accidentally first." He grins, smugly. Shion rolls his eyes.

He turns around, feeling the bed behind him and is almost tempted to sit down. Shion's gaze is entirely focused on his face, beanie still off. His hair is so _white_. Nezumi's fascinated.

He reaches up, ignoring the weird pang of hesitance and touches it. It's softer than he imagined. Shion jumps, and Nezumi offers him a slightly guilty smile. "Sorry, I should have warned you."

He moves to retract his hand and Shion grabs it, suddenly holding it in place. Nezumi tenses, and Shion quickly releases his hand. "You can…keep feeling it if you want. I don't mind. It's…only hair."

Nezumi shakes his wrist a little, surprised by Shion's strength. Shion's staring at the floor apologetically. He awkwardly bows his head to give Nezumi a good view of his hair. It's weird. The air between them feels heavy with the offer- but who is Nezumi to refuse it.

He reaches up, examining a longer strand, watching Shion to make sure he doesn't tense. He's perfectly still, gaze focused at the same spot on the carpet. It's regular hair, it seems, just colored differently. But how?

Nezumi straightens up to examine the roots of Shion's hair. White. It really must be natural. He runs a hand through it carefully. It's light and well-layered, it falls back into place as soon as Nezumi's hand passes through it. Shion shuts his eyes. "Who cuts your hair? They're good."

"My mom."

Shion says it with absolutely no shame, no regrets. As if every 20-year-old man typically receives haircuts from their mother. Nezumi cracks up—loudly and Shion's eyes open. He straightens up and glares at the carpeting, quickly batting Nezumi's hand away from his hair. "You just said she did a good job!"

"I sure did—no one knows a boy's hair like his mama." Nezumi grins mockingly. Shion's eyes narrow and he aims his glare at Nezumi instead of the floor, meeting his eyes easily. His hair is framing his face and his cheeks and ears are slightly red. His mouth is locked in a hard line and it's actually—surprisingly, inexcusably—_attractive_.

Nezumi wants to kiss him. Badly.

Nezumi immediately breaks eye contact, heart racing in a way that's not romantic in the slightest. It's unpleasant and horrifying and uncomfortable and _where the hell did it come from?_ He's terrified- suddenly keenly aware of their proximity, the fact he's loosely leaning against the bed and Shion's unintentionally standing in front of him, a little too closely. He can feel Shion's breath, make out every fleck of color in his eyes, notice every seam in his shirt, every line on his face. Why _now?_

This shouldn't be happening.

Shion's watching him carefully, the concern in his eyes almost worse than the feeling clawing its way around Nezumi's gut. "Nezumi?"

He straightens up and smiles, and tries not to look at Shion's lips, Shion's hair, Shion's eyes. "We should get moving if we want to be able to grab breakfast." He moves quickly past Shion to the door.

He hears Shion follow behind him, but doesn't look back. They climb into the car, and drive in silence.


	13. Getting away

Nezumi's aware he's being moody, but he has no idea how to stop it. _Nothing_ at all has happened between them. Nothing even has to happen, and yet Nezumi's irrationally pissed off and nervous at the sheer _potential_ of it all.

He doesn't even _know_ him. They only met three—fuck was it even three— days ago. Shion has been honest enough, but Nezumi doesn't know nearly enough about him to have his attraction founded on, well, _anything_.

Shion could be anyone, really. He always could, and that wasn't a problem but now that Nezumi's kind of feeling sort of curious about him it's starting to become one.

Nezumi suffered once- he won't suffer again. He has no intention of climbing aboard a train potentially right before it crashes. Travelling companion is one thing; Friends and lovers is another.

He forcibly quells the panic stirring up his gut and stares out the window.

It really is nothing. Shion probably has no idea what Nezumi's been thinking, and he shouldn't. It's none of his business. This is a matter of the body. Shion may have triggered it, but _he_ has nothing to do with it.

It's not as though Nezumi is a stranger to romantic impulses. He can transform his feelings easily- Desire can be redirected into energy, and energy to motion. Rage can become beauty, if controlled enough. It's not a coincidence Nezumi's motions are graceful; they are trained; they are made- that is performance.

"Are you hungry, Nezumi?"

Shion's voice is falsely upbeat, aimed at Nezumi from the driver's seat. He's smiling a fake smile, obviously pretending they haven't spent the last hour driving in tense silence. It pisses Nezumi off.

"No." He tries to be as curt as possible to clarify the excruciatingly long lull in conversation is going to continue for an indefinite period of time. He's not feeling ready to chat, yet.

The artificial smile rolls off Shion's face. He stares at the road a moment before speaking, voice quiet and thoughtful. "I'm a little hungry, I think."

Nezumi doesn't bother replying. He unrolls his window and tries to get a better look at the sky. It's a soft, almost creamy, shade of blue. The rush of air into the car blows Nezumi's hair around his face. Shion sits up a little straighter, and Nezumi tries not to notice the way the wind brushes through his beanie-free hair.

Seeing Nezumi has no intention of replying, Shion continues. "I'm used to eating breakfast. My mother owns a bakery, you know, so I'll often have bread or some sort of pastry for breakfast. Do you normally skip breakfast?"

Nezumi shrugs noncommittally. Shion persists. "Kids used to make fun of me for only bringing a loaf of bread for lunch too. But it was good bread—"

"Do you intend to talk about bread this entire trip? Because I've stopped listening." Nezumi remarks, interrupting Shion, eying a line of hole-in-the-wall style bars.

The parking lots are empty. It's not like anyone's drinking this early—not in public-—anyway. Nezumi vaguely wonders if competition is a problem on this road.

"Nezumi."

He feels Shion staring at him, but makes no move to speak again. There's a ramshackle looking Waffle House awkwardly jammed between two of the empty bars. The screaming yellow of its sign feels extremely out of place in the neighborhood-like area.

"I'm going to pull over now." Shion announces suddenly, flipping on his turn signal and fearlessly jerking the wheel to the right- hurling the car into the nearest parking lot. The tires screech roughly at Shion's abrupt turn and Nezumi frantically clutches onto the arms of his seat.

"Shi—on what the—_fuck_!"

"I could ask you the same thing." Shion speaks firmly. He pulls beautifully into an open parking spot as if his half hazard turn never happened in the first place.

"That was fucking _dangerous_!"

"It wasn't. I checked for any other cars, and my speed was still reasonable." Shion says quickly, defending himself.

"You can't just pull shit like that!"

Shion watches Nezumi, eyes clear, Nezumi can't find any remorse in them. Shion sighs. "I lost my temper."

Nezumi notices his fists are clenched tightly around the wheel, even though the car isn't moving. However, releasing his anger is more important than Shion's personal issues.

"Yeah, _yeah_ you did! You can't just pull shit like that without warning me what you're doing!"

"Well, maybe you can stop acting like I've done something horrible to you simply by existing!" Shion raises his voice, calm mask cracking. "Have I offended you? Did I say something wrong, Nezumi? Is that why you're acting this way? I don't understand!"

Nezumi's eyes narrow. "Mind your ego, Shion. This has nothing to do with you."

"You're wrong." Shion glares at him, and Nezumi matches it. "This has everything to do with me. We are travelling _together_. If I've upset you—"

"You haven't upset me! I don't even know you!"

It comes out as a yell, echoing slightly in the almost empty car. Nezumi immediately regrets it.

Shion swallows, seeming to deflate slightly as he breaks eye contact. He releases the wheel and folds his hands in his lap, taking a deep breath. "I'm going to calm down. You have to as well, Nezumi."

Nezumi opens his mouth, ready to argue. He swallows instead when Shion refuses to face him, staring at the dashboard of the car. His shoulders are tense, his entire body poised to attack. His eyes are shut, and he shifts uncomfortably, trying to relax.

Nezumi leans back into the seat. Resentment hits him in waves, twisted and furious. He forces it down, listening to the sound of Shion's breathing beside him, and focuses on steadying his own.

Several minutes pass before Nezumi is ready to face Shion again. He opens his eyes and finds he's looking at his phone.

36 new text messages. Shion makes no moves to answer them and only looks at the screen.

"Who?" Nezumi asks quietly, and Shion smiles sadly. He plays with the phone in his hands a little before speaking.

"I didn't tell Safu I was planning this road trip, even though she deserved to know. She probably would have come with us, too. It wasn't intentional. I just knew I had to leave. I didn't want to worry her, but it looks like I have."

Nezumi nods slightly, carefully. Shion continues. "My mother—she thinks I should call her and she's right, of course. I just…"

"Just?"

"I don't know what to say. I felt—trapped. At that school. Somehow." Shion stumbles slightly. "I never wanted to hurt her. It's my fault I was expelled, but I think it bothers her. She knew I wasn't satisfied there. "

Nezumi watches him carefully, anger draining, as he looks at Shion's tense shoulders, and the beanie shoved in the drink holder between them.

"I'm the last person who can criticize you about running away." He starts lamely, staring at his shoes. Shion almost immediately straightens up, the shock barely hidden from his face. Nezumi tries to smile a little, almost wishing they could go back to fighting. Fighting made more sense than whatever he was trying to do now.

"What do you mean?" Shion prompts, when he notices Nezumi's hesitance.

"Sometimes you need to get away, and figure out yourself." Nezumi tries not to think too hard about what he's saying. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"Is that what you're doing?" Shion asks gently and Nezumi looks out the window, scratching his neck.

"Yeah."

Shion shifts in his seat again. "Did you mean what you said, about not knowing me?"

Nezumi nods, slowly.

"Do you want to?"

Nezumi pauses, unsure. Shion waits and he nods again.

"I want to know you too." He can hear a hint of embarrassment in Shion's voice. "I know I told you that before."

Nezumi chuckles weakly, uncomfortable.

"Yeah, yeah, you did."

He faces Shion anyway. Shion smiles at him reassuringly before slumping over a little. He scratches his head.

"I'm just feeling my way through this. I don't know if I'm making the right decisions or anything. I need to call and apologize to Safu, and I shouldn't have pulled over so suddenly or yelled at you—"

Nezumi winces slightly. "I yelled too. And I was…caught up in my own thoughts. I shouldn't have ignored you." Shion nods, and the apology is clear between them.

Nezumi rubs his neck, looking at the Waffle House sign.

"You hungry?"


End file.
